One of Canada's most experienced and respected executive coaches and coaching business leaders, Karen represents a team of associates and alliance partners offering services in executive coaching, assessment, wellness support and career management/transition. Karen is the founder of Parachute Executive Coaching, an associate-based coaching firm located in Toronto, Canada.  She has been practicing since the mid-1990’s, and holds the Master Certified Coach designation, the highest credential awarded by the International Coach Federation.  Karen was the first professional coach to be credentialed in Canada.
 
She and her team work with executive leaders and teams to articulate purpose and vision, describe and align strengths, and ensure top notch execution against plans, both personal and strategic.  The firm’s clients have included major Canadian and multinational organizations in financial services, health care, telecommunications, not-for-profit, government, arts, education and technology.
 
Karen has an MBA in Marketing from the Ivey School of Business and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and is currently pursuing additional education in Psychology and Sustainable Leadership.  She graduated from two of the coaching profession’s most established training programs and has taught and developed curriculum for both programs.  Prior to becoming a professional coach, Karen enjoyed a successful career in consumer packaged goods marketing and advertising.  She sees the transition into coaching as a logical evolution of a lifelong interest in human behaviour and motivation.  
 
Karen is a consultant for Clear Medicine integrated wellness boutique, is a certified coach for Dr. Martin Seligman’s “Authentic Happiness” program based on leading edge Positive Psychology research, and is certified in numerous assessment and insight generation methodologies and tools including Birkman, Winslow and DISC.
 
Karen’s work has been featured in a variety of media including the Globe & Mail, CTV’s Balance, CITY’s Breakfast Television, numerous Canadian and international talk radio and television programs and many specialty publications including Computer World, Kiplinger’s, Law Society Journal and CA Magazine.  As a featured columnist in Chatelaine, Karen offered career and life balance advice on a regular basis for over six years.
 
Karen’s clients cite her warmth, pragmatic approach and extraordinary commitment to service as key attributes of her style.  Her personal values are expressed in part by her work with and contributions to not-for-profit organizations such as PLAN Canada, Bridgepoint Health, Earth Day Canada and World Wildlife Fund.